The present invention relates to an online shopping system for a consumer to order and purchase items by using a computer, and more particularly to a method for providing an online shopping system having an interface function for allowing an consumer to efficiently select and confirm items to be purchased and such an interface function.
Recently, an online shopping system which allows examination, selection and order of items through a computer has been put into practice. In such an online shopping system, in order to supplement a disadvantage by a gap from ordinary shopping caused by the use of electronic means such as not capable of directly touching the item and not capable of getting assistance of a real salesman, various devices for a user interface have been made. As one of such devices, a so-called shopping basket function which has some analogy with shopping basket used in a shop such as supermarket is proposed. In this function, items on the online shopping are temporarily added to a purchase list and a process of order and purchase is conducted when all items to be purchased are registered on the list, as items to be purchased in the supermarket are once put into a shopping basket and lastly the account is settled at a counter. In this manner, by preparing the purchase list to order a plurality of items one time, a time required to purchase may be substantially saved. Further, the consumer may prevent the failure of shopping and stop the purchase of unnecessary items by checking the list once before the purchase. Further, because of feel of easiness that the items once added on the purchase list may be finally changed in any way before the purchase, there is a psychological effect that the consumer may proceed shopping readily.
The elements which constitute the shopping basket are a shopping basket main body (purchase list) and a function for taking in and out items for the shopping basket. As functions associated with the shopping basket, there are a function to take the items into the shopping basket (add to the purchase list), a function to check the contents of the shopping basket (display the purchase list), a function to return the item in the shopping basket (change the purchase list) and a function to purchase the items in the shopping basket. However, for the function to purchase the items, only the order is accepted because the delivery of the items is made later except a portion of items which can be downloaded as digital data and the shopping is not completed until the items are received and the account is settled.
As one of methods for proving the shopping basket to the consumer, there is a method of displaying a button for the shopping basket on the same display page as a catalog which the consumer watches as it is realized in the online shopping system mainly on the World Wide Web. As another method of proving the shopping basket, there is a method for separately displaying an item catalog area and a shopping basket area. Such a function is used in the shopping system provided by a CD-ROM.